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3. Dealer Selection

Our man in Japan recently titillated the sport-compact fan base with a brief drive impression and detailed product description of Honda‘s tantalizingly styled two-seat CR-Z gleaned at the launch of the Japan-spec car. The style, stance and two-seat hatchback packaging scream CRX, but the Fit/Insight chassis underpinnings and earth-hugger hybrid powertrain (albeit “souped up” to 1.5 liter/122-combined-horsepower specification) muddle the message. Has the original CRX been reincarnated, or is this just a hipper-looking but heavier, less-efficient reincarnation of the original Insight? To find out, we lugged, launched, and legged a U.S.-spec CR-Z over 150 miles worth of real-world roads, including the mean streets of San Francisco, the 101 freeway, the winding wine-and-cheese roads north of the Golden Gate, and a tightly coned autocross circuit. We also sampled both earlier generations of the CRX for comparison.

Is it the CRX reincarnate? No. Okay, if the CRX you long to reanimate is the old 50-mpg HF variant, you’ll only be disappointed in the new hybrid’s fuel economy, which tops out at 35/39 mpg (EPA city/highway) for the considerably less sporting CVT automatic model. The legions of rice-rocket faithful who’ve been longing to recapture the go-kart look and feel of the Si may be disappointed in the CR-Z’s comparatively high cowl, 500-plus-pound weight gain, and fuel-economy-biased tires, which squeal “uncle!” at reasonably modest levels of lateral grip.

But those willing to open their minds to a next-millennium motoring experience uncolored by expectations rooted in the past will find much to love in this small-footprint (size- and carbon-wise) sportster. The hybrid system’s Sport mode amps up the acceleration performance with extra electric assist at low rpm and dials back the electric power steering assist to a quite sporting heft vaguely reminiscent of the unassisted helm in the CRX (but without the languid four turns of lock). It’ll spin the wheels nicely at launch and pull out of the gates like an electric car, and it will also pull San Francisco grades in third gear without lugging (at least until the 5.75-Amp-hour battery is depleted).

Under the whip, the exhaust manages a mildly appealing muted snarl that’s at least an octave lower than the CRX Si’s (sorry, we’re trying to forget that car). The six-speed stick (a first in the hybrid realm) offers tight throws and Seiko-movement precision and should be considered mandatory equipment for anyone looking to extract driving fun from a CR-Z. Yes, you can paddle-shift the CVT through seven synthetic ratios, but Sport mode doesn’t vary the electric assist with the CVT, and the computer frequently denies or delays requests for up- and downshifts. A Hill-Start Assist system keeps the CR-Z from rolling back for up to three seconds’ worth of clutch dithering when launching on a hill, though one particularly steep San Fran grade proved too much for the system. One 6M caveat: Second gear tops out at 55 mph, so we expect 0-60-mph times to be slightly better for the CVT.

On twisty roads, the CR-Z still lends credence to the old adage “it’s more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow.” Sure, the ultimate grip of the gas-sipper 195/55R16 Dunlop SP-Sport 7000 tires is modest, but it’s easy and rewarding to exploit every bit of that grip, and the chassis behavior is delightfully neutral, allowing an astute driver to switch off the stability nannies and provoke four-wheel slides on command. Ride tuning and roll control seem vaguely French, which is to say magnifique in terms of compliance and overall suspension travel, but tres nautique in the roll department. Quick left-right combinations on the little autocross circuit had the car bounding off the jounce bumpers on either side, and some real-world bumps and dips sent the suspension through its entire range of motion (topping and bottoming with imperceptible smoothness). Bottom line: Check in with Mugen for some starchier dampers and anti-roll bars before campaigning in any autocrosses, and upgrade the rolling stock while you’re at it. Beware of adding unsprung weight, however, as the CR-Z team worked overtime to trim the weight of the 16-inch wheels by 11 pounds relative to the Insight’s and to save 8.8 pounds at each front corner by replacing the stamped steel front control arms with die-cast aluminum pieces. Honda will offer 205/45R17 tires on 7.0×17-inch rims as a dealer-installed option.

The braking system also deserves props for feeling completely “normal” and not at all “hybrid-y.” Somehow the IMA motor siphons its energy off without the hydraulic brake pedal knowing about it. 2010 Civic and Insight models were on hand for direct comparison and the difference was stark. It is possible to just touch the brake on a descent and watch the “charge” meter peg without engaging any hydraulic braking, but when storming the back roads, there’s no pedal nonlinearity to account for.

After a weekend of backroad romping, punch the Eco-mode button, and a ring around the electronic speed display switches from angry red to soothing green (for eco motoring ) or blue (to indicate that you may be crushing that egg that’s supposed to be on the accelerator). The steering also lightens up for easier parking and city maneuvering, and the copious powertrain-control electronics set about directing the movements of all onboard electrons heading for either the spark plugs or the IMA motor in such a way as to optimize fuel economy. We hypermiled around for a while in city and freeway traffic and coaxed the onboard computer’s average econ number up to 39.7 mpg. Most of the Insight’s various eco-driving coach displays can be called up to eke out bragworthy fuel economy. Our 150-mile overall average (not including the autocrossing, which happened in other CR-Zs) worked out to a right respectable 29.4 mpg.

A few other factoids gleaned from this drive: EX models will not be badged as such, but their foglamps and Xenon headlights give them away. EXs also get some meaningful interior upgrades, like a novel new vacuum-formed evaporated-tin film that lends a sharp-looking smoked-chrome appearance to the doorpulls and center console area. There’s also a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, a 360-watt stereo, Bluetooth, keyless remote, and heated mirrors. The only factory options are the CVT and navigation, which should elevate the price to about $24,000. All CR-Zs also get a nifty cargo cover that can be relocated to the middle of the floor, and stretched up into place to segregate small loads out of sight in the back of the cargo hold.

As an economical commuter car, the CR-Z is more fun to drive and way cooler looking than most, though you should be aware that the rear-3/4 visibility is only slightly better than that of a Lamborghini, and no back–up camera will be offered at launch. The front seatback releases don’t allow the seats to move forward for easier access to the cargo area, and they don’t remember their original position either. But niggles like these should not dissuade anyone from considering this zippy new-age runabout. And who knows, maybe a CR-Z Si will emerge in a year or so that channels the long lost CRX’s spirit. Chief engineer Norio Tomobe indicated that if — hypothetically — it were up to him to develop an Si, he’d add juice on the electric side of the equation. Sounds great to us. Between Tomobe’s E-boosting, and some Mugen ministrations to the gasser, the rice-rocket folks will be in their glory.

2011 Honda CR-Z News and Reviews

For as much as people often consider their car an extension of their personality, the automotive world is strikingly conservative. Sure, automakers like to wow us with out-of-this-world concepts, but you almost never see those in showrooms.Every so often, though, a vice president gets a few too many drinks in him and says, "Sure, what the heck."Once it's too late…